Roll-type filter construction



Nov. 7, 1967 A. E. REVELL 3,350,855

ROLL-TYPE FILTER CONSTRUCTION Filed Oct. 5, 1965 INVENTOR ALAN E. REVELL ATTORNEY United States Patent Office 3,350,855 Patented Nov. 7, 1967 3,350,855 ROLL-TYPE FILTER CONSTRUCTION Alan E. Revell, Louisville, Ky., assignor to American Air Filter Company, Inc., Louisville, Ky., a corporation of Delaware Filed Oct. 5, 1965, Ser. No. 493,031 4 Claims. (Cl. 55--354) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An improved roll support section of a filter assembly wherein support arms are pivotally mounted in said filter assembly for limited movement between collapsed and support position.

The present invention relates to roll-type filter apparatus and more particularly to an improved arrangement for supporting and driving a roll of filter media in a rolltype filter apparatus.

In accordance with the present invention, an economical, straightforward support arrangement is provided for supporting roll-type filter media from a bearing unit which can be readily collapsed for shipment and storage and which can be readily erected for operational use. In addition, the present invention provides a straightforward and economical structure for coupling roll-type filter media to a drive assembly, including a novel locking member for holding the coupled units in fast relationship. As'will be more readily seen from a reading of the disclosure set forth hereinafter, the structure of the present invention permits facile shipment, setting up, and storage of a roll-type filter apparatus with a minimum of operational steps and with a minimum of structural parts.

Various other features of the present invention will become obvious to one skilled in the art upon reading the disclosure set forth herein. i

More particularly, the present invention provides in a roll-type filter assembly, an improved construction for supporting a roll of filter media upon a mandrel having projecting spindles comprising: a housing having peripheral side walls defining a gas passage to accommodate a gas stream flow therethrough; and bearing means to receive and support the spindles with the roll therebetween when the roll is in operative position, the bearing means including at least one bearing unit having slot means at one end thereof into which one of the projecting spindles of the mandrel can nest, the bearing unit having its opposite end pivotally mounted to the side wall to permit the unit to be folded toa cantilever position from the side wall for roll support and to a collapse position against the side wall for shipment and storage. In addition, the present invention provides an improved coupling arrangement for the roll of filter media including a first U-shaped bracket member mounted to an end of the mandrel; a second U-shaped bracket member nesting with the first bracket member and fastened to the drive means, the bracket members having aligned apertures in the legs thereof and a locking member passing through the aligned apertures to hold the brackets in coupled relationship. Further, the present invention provides a novel locking member that cooperates with the bracket members in a ready manner, with one leg portion of the locking member passing through the aligned apertures and another leg portion nesting with the bracket member to hold the locking member in fast position.

It is to be understood that various changes can be made by one skilled in the art in the arrangement, form and construction of the apparatus disclosed herein without departing from the scope or spirit of the present invention.

Referring to the drawing which discloses one advantageous embodiment of the present invention:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevational view of a roll-type filter apparatus incorporating the novel features of the present invention, only a portion of the filter media material being disclosed;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view of one side of the apparatus of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a side elevational view of the other side of the apparatus of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged, isometric view disclosing the details of a bearing unit for supporting the projecting spindle of a roll of filter media in the novel roll filter apparatus;

FIGURE 5 is a novel exploded isometric view disclosing the novel coupling arrangement for coupling a roll of filter media to a drive assembly;

FIGURE 6 is an end cross-sectional view of the coupling arrangement of FIGURE 5 taken in a plane through line 66 of FIGURE 1, in fast relationship with the locking member inserted in proper position; and

FIGURE 7 is a reduced broken view of the mandrel assembly for the media supply roll 7.

As can be seen in FIGURES 1 to 3 of the drawing, a roll-type filter housing 2 having peripheral side walls to define a gas passage is disclosed. This housing 2 includes inlet and outlet faces and further includes roll support supply zone 3, filter zone 4, and roll support rewind zone 6.

Supply zone 3 serves to receive and support a roll of filter media material 7, a portion only of which is disclosed in FIGURE 1 of the drawing. Roll 7 can be, comprised of a web of suitable filter media material such as fiber glass. This web is progressively advanced through filter zone 4 which frames a gas stream passage through which the gas to be treated must flow. The contaminant loaded web 7 is then progressively advanced to the rewind zone 6 where it is wound onto a discharge roll 8, which ultimately can be thrown away or reconditioned. A suitable drive motor 9, known in the art and not described in detail herein, can be utilized to advance the medium progressively in the manner aforedescribed.

Drive motor 9 is positioned on a side wall of housing 2 adjacent roll rewind zone 6 and is coupled to discharge roll 8 through a gear and chain drive assembly 11 in a novel manner as described hereinafter.

To support filter media roll 7 in supply zone 3, a novel bearing arrangement is utilized. This bearing arrangement comprises a pair of spaced rod supports 12 of right triangular configuration, one of which is disclosed in FIGURE 4. Each rod support 12 includes a base portion 13 and an apex portion 14. Base portion 13 of each rod support 12 is pivotally mounted to one of two opposite sidewalls of housing 2 by means of a plate member 16. In this connection it is to be noted that plate member 16 has a cross-sectional configuration of such a nature as to define a recess with the side wall to which it is mounted so as to define a support bracket to receive the base portion 13 in snu-g engagement therewith for limited pivotal movement therein. It also is to be noted that plate member 16 is fastened. to its side wall by means of simple nut and bolt assembly 17 (only the bolt of which is disclosed).

Fastened by a suitable means, such as welding, to apex 14 of each rod support 12 is a bearing bracket member 18. Each bracket member 18 includes an inwardly offset slotted portion 19 which serves to receive a projecting spindle 21 of filter media roll 7 (FIGURE 7). It is to be noted that slotted portion 19 is offset an amount substantially equal to the axial length of the protruding spindle 21 so that the spindle does not extend beyond a plane determining the corresponding side wall of housing 2 and thus form an undesirable protrusion. It further is to be noted that the slot in portion 19 of one bearing unit of a spaced pair of bearing units can be of different breadth than the slot in portion 19 of the other bearing unit of a pair. This permits the spindles on the opposite ends of a roll of filter media 7 to be of different diameters and thus assures that the roll can be mounted only in one manner.

As can be seen in the drawing, discharge roll 8 can be supported at one end by a bearing arrangement similar to that aforedescribed. As also can be seen more readily in FIGURES 5 and 6 of the drawing, the opposite end of the mandrel assembly of discharge roll 8 is provided with a U-shaped bracket member 22 fastened to the mandrel end plate 23. A second U-shaped bracket member 24, sized to nest in bracket member 22 when the discharge roll is placed into operating position, is fastened to the drive gear of the gear and chain drive assembly 11. It is to be noted that bracket members 22 and 24 are provided with apertures 26 in the side legs thereof which are so located as to be aligned when the bracket members are in nesting relationship for operation.

To hold the bracket members in fast position during operation, a resilient, U-shaped lock clip 27 is provided.

This clip 27 has an otfset straight leg portion 28 which is arranged to pass in limited fashion through the aligned apertures 26 and an opposite indented leg portion 29 which resiliently nests between the legs of the inner bracket member 24 of the nesting bracket members.

From the above description, it can be readily seen that the rod support members 12 can be easily pivoted into collapsed position from the cantilever position about their pivotal base portions 13, attention being directed to the dotted line section in FIGURE 4. When the unit is to be set up, it only is necessary to extend the rod supports 12 in a cantilever position with the body of the supports being restrained to limit the pivotal movement thereof to extended normal position by abutting against the side wall members to which they are mounted. Supply roll 7 can then be lifted so that spindles 21 thereof engage in the slots of slotted portions 19 of the bearing units. In like fashion, a spindle 21 on one end of discharge roll 8 can be mounted in a bearing unit like that described. The other end of the discharge roll 8 having bracket member 22 is positioned so that such bracket member is engaged in nesting fashion by bracket member 24 on the driven gear of assembly 11. U-shaped lock clip 27 then can be placed into position with the offset straight leg portion 28 passing through aligned apertures 26, and the indented portion 29 yieldingly engaging between the legs of the inner bracket member 24. Thus, the unit can be set up in an efficient and easy manner with a minimum of operations and with a minimum of parts. Likewise, the unit can be collapsed for storage and shipment in the same eflicient manner.

The invention claimed is:

1. A filter assembly including a housing having spaced opposed peripheral side walls providing filter medium support sections at opposite ends thereof and defining a flow-through gas treating section intermediate said support sections having inlet and outlet faces with at least one of said sections being a roll support section receiving and supporting a roll of filter material wound upon a mandrel having projecting spindles; an improved construction of said roll support section of said housing comprising: support plate means mounted to at least one of said peripheral side walls in said roll support section to cooperate therewith to define a support bracket; substantially straight longitudinally extending bearing arm means a bearing bracket member fastened at one end of said bearing arm means, said bearing bracket member including an inwardly offset slotted portion receiving said projecting spindle of said mandrel whereby said spindle does not extend beyond a plane determining said corresponding wall of said housing, said bearing arm means having its opposite end pivotally mounted to said support bracket to permit said bearing arm means to be positioned in an extended position normal to said inlet face of said flow-through section for roll support during gas treating operations and to be pivoted to a collapse position against said housing for shipment and storage; and restraining means operatively associated with said housing to limit the pivotal movement of said bearing arm means to said extended normal position.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, said bearing arm means comprising a rod of triangular configuration with its base pivotally mounted to said side wall by means of said support bracket; and a bearing bracket member fastened to the apex of said rod.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, said support bracket means including a plate member removably fastened to one of said side walls of said housing, said plate member having a cross-sectional configuration so as to define a recess with said side wall, which recess pivotally receives said base of said rod.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, a drive means operatively associated with said mandrel for rotating said mandrel; and a first U-shaped bracket member mounted to the end of said mandrel opposite said projecting spindle; a second U-shaped bracket member nesting with said first bracket member and operatively fastened to said drive means for rotation thereby, said bracket members having aligned apertures in the side legs thereof; a resilient U-shaped clip member having a first leg portion with an offset portion passing through said aligned apertures and a second leg portion having an indent therein opposite said offset portion, said indent resiliently nesting between the legs of the inner of said nesting bracket members.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 236,124 12/1880 Washburn 16l92 1,029,373 6/1912 King 248254 1,034,086 7/1912 Davis 24271.9 1,309,883 7/1919 Fishback 16192 X 1,516,149 11/1924 Crane 248--269 X 2,072,519 3/1937 Carpenter et al. 24255.2 2,106,187 1/ 1938 Naugler.

2,140,132 12/1938 Hollett 280515 X 2,478,736 8/1949 Balzer 280515 X 2,622,812 12/ 1952 Brastad 24257 X 2,760,790 8/ 1956 Andrews 280--504 2,807,330 9/1957 Rivers -354 3,104,757 9/ 1963 Dougherty et al. 287-5205 X 3,187,900 6/1965 Schneider 211168 X 3,208,768 9/1965 Hulbert 280-514 X 3,220,129 11/1965 Goodman et al. 248251 X HARRY B. THORNTON, Primary Examiner.

D. TALBERT, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A FILTER ASSEMBLY INCLUDING A HOUSING HAVING SPACED OPPOSED PERIPHERAL SIDE WALLS PROVIDING FILTER MEDIUM SUPPORT SECTIONS AT OPPOSITE ENDS THEREOF AND DEFINING A FLOW-THROUGH GAS TREATING SECTION INTERMEDIATE SAID SUPPORT SECTIONS HAVING INLET AND OUTLET FACES WITH AT LEAST ONE OF SAID SECTIONS BEING A ROLL SUPPORT SECTION RECEIVING AND SUPPORTING A ROLL OF FILTER MATERIAL WOUND UPON A MANDREL HAVING PROJECTING SPINDLES; AN IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION OF SAID ROLL SUPPORT SECTION OF SAID HOUSING COMPRISING: SUPPORT PLATE MEANS MOUNTED TO AT LEAST ONE OF SAID PERIPHERAL SIDE WALLS IN SAID ROLL SUPPORT SECTION TO COOPERATE THEREWITH TO DEFINE A SUPPORT BRACKET; SUBSTANTIALLY STRAIGHT LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING BEARING ARM MEANS A BEARING BRACKET MEMBER FASTENED AT ONE END OF SAID BEARING ARM MEANS, SAID BEARING BRACKET MEMBER INCLUDING AN INWARDLY OFFSET SLOTTED PORTION RECEIVING SAID PROJECTING SPINDLE OF SAID MANDREL WHEREBY SAID SPINDLE DOES NOT EXTEND BEYOND A PLANE DETERMINING SAID CORRESPONDING WALL OF SAID HOUSING, SAID BEARING ARM MEANS HAVING ITS OPPOSITE END PIVOTALLY MOUNTED TO SAID SUPPORT BRACKET TO PERMIT SAID BEARING ARM MEANS TO BE POSITIONED IN AN EXTENDED POSITION NORMAL TO SAID INLET FACE OF SAID FLOW-THROUGH SECTION FOR ROLL SUPPORT DURING GAS TREATING OPERATIONS AND TO BE PIVOTED TO A COLLAPSE POSITION AGAINST SAID HOUSING FOR SHIPMENT AND STORAGE; AND RESTRAINING MEANS OPERATIVELY ASSOCIATED WITH SAID HOUSING TO LIMIT THE PIVOTAL MOVEMENT OF SAID BEARING ARM MEANS TO SAID EXTENDED NORMAL POSITION. 